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27-inch iMac gets a major update

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Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#291

Post by pkamb »

tzs wrote: post #76
dijit wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It will almost certainly be a low end macbook. In fact, there's a non-pro 'macbook'[0] that already exists which would be perfect, it was discontinued a year ago, but used ultra-low power CPUs. In fact when they were talking about them (prior to release) they thought they would have ARM CPU's back then. They are fanless and have a 5W thermal envelope, which fits in with the current A12X too. The major criticisms of t…

> Single USB-C port Are their hubs yet that can turn one USB C port into several? Or do they still only turn one USB C port into several USB A ports? A couple years ago what I read was that the hold up was that this required more complicated chipsets that would not be available for a few months and would be expensive. More recently, I've read that this won't happen until USB4.

"Why can't I find a USB-C hub with multiple USB-C ports?"

https://superuser.com/q/1381139/122042

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#292

Post by smnrchrds »

snapetom wrote: post #260
smnrchrds wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They learned their lesson and made storage, RAM, etc. non-user replaceable in newer versions. You used to be able to buy a Mac from Apple and upgrade its RAM at a reasonable price on your own. Not anymore.

The iMac and Mac Pro has user upgradeable RAM. https://www.apple.com/imac/specs/

You are right. But you used to be able to do that to any Mac. And I fully expect the ARM Macs to get rid of this feature. Though I would be happily surprised if they don't.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#293

Post by rbanffy »

pilsetnieks wrote: post #206
graeme wrote: post #7

Does the imac pro get the better camera and other features listed? I used laptops for years until and rsi issue made me have to avoid trackpads. I can say I’ve been extremely pleased with having a desktop imac. I use an ipad pro when I need something portable. I like just having a station I can get in front of that signifies work, and the imac pro fans basically never make noise.

To the best of my knowledge, most laptops support external displays and peripherals as well.

True, but my Macbook enters "hairdryer mode" every time I push it a little (which is often).

I'd like a quieter device without the constant fan noise.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#294

Post by samtheprogram »

avianlyric wrote: post #184
n3k5 wrote: post #134

“SSDs across the line with quadruple the storage” 1/4 TB of storage in the $1800 model, 1/2 TB in the $2300 one. Ugh. (So before the lower-end one had 64GB? [Edit: Nope, 1 TB Fusion Drive, thanks smnrchrds!] That would be FULL just from installing the one game the press release mentions.) What kind of magic fairy dust SSDs are they using that you can't have a sensible amount of storage space at those prices? Looking…

> What kind of magic fairy dust SSDs are they using that you can't have a sensible amount of storage space at those prices? The kind where Apple can make a 300% or more margin, knowing that people will still pay. Don't think Apple have ever sold SSD upgrades at anything remotely resembling competitive $/TB prices. Clearly they don't need too because people still buy their machines.

The iMac competes via its 5K display and having macOS in general. Remember that Apple’s comparable offerings for this tier display were priced at $1299, in the same price range as many 5K displays.

The $1800 price point isn’t hard to grasp once you consider the display.

EDIT: I previously compared to / referenced possibly sub-$1000 5K monitors, but it seems the ones I was looking at in that range were actually 4K.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#295

Post by alkonaut »

n3k5 wrote: post #134

“SSDs across the line with quadruple the storage” 1/4 TB of storage in the $1800 model, 1/2 TB in the $2300 one. Ugh. (So before the lower-end one had 64GB? [Edit: Nope, 1 TB Fusion Drive, thanks smnrchrds!] That would be FULL just from installing the one game the press release mentions.) What kind of magic fairy dust SSDs are they using that you can't have a sensible amount of storage space at those prices? Looking…

Don’t buy a desktop computer with non-user replaceable/upgradeable disks. In an air form factor I can buy the argument that it saves 50 grams or one mm of thickness. In a desktop it’s just ridiculous. Having any other standard than 2.5” or nvme is silly, and ideally a desktop even in the iMac form factor should have at least one empty 2.5” slot.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#296

Post by rbanffy »

adrianmsmith wrote: post #119
graeme wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah I see. So no improvement there. Hopefully on the redesigned ARM version.

I have an iMac Pro and can confirm the microphone is amazing. Miles better than the internal microphones on my colleagues PC laptops. (I don’t have a strong opinion on the camera, and don’t have an iMac to compare to.)

As I get older and wrinkled, I appreciate the lack of pixels and soft focus of a crappy camera. I'd be much happier with low noise in dark settings than more pixels. Kind of the same way I appreciated the Dell XPS "nostrilcam" that fools people about the hair on the top of my head in ways my Macbook doesn't.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#297

Post by sixothree »

skohan wrote: post #196
n3k5 wrote: post #134

“SSDs across the line with quadruple the storage” 1/4 TB of storage in the $1800 model, 1/2 TB in the $2300 one. Ugh. (So before the lower-end one had 64GB? [Edit: Nope, 1 TB Fusion Drive, thanks smnrchrds!] That would be FULL just from installing the one game the press release mentions.) What kind of magic fairy dust SSDs are they using that you can't have a sensible amount of storage space at those prices? Looking…

It seems crazy. I bought a 2TB M.2 PCIE gen 3 drive not too long ago for 200 EUR. These drives are so tiny now they could easy offer an expansion slot which is accessible to the user, like the PS5 will. I miss the early-2000s era Apple who would actually do something like that.

I wish there was a consumer level standard for NVME drives caddies like the ones that are emerging for servers.

Like this but for consumers. https://www.anandtech.com/show/11702/intel-introduces-new-ru...

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#298

Post by [deleted] »

briandear wrote: post #287
damnyou wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's only rich schools that buy them, and most places that do would be better off without them.

Until you have to manage a lab full of Windows, then MAC becomes a much better value. With a Mac you don’t have to buy MS office, you get iWork. You also get iMovie, GarageBand and other Apple software that covers almost everything a typical school would need. And you never have to buy updates for either the OS or the other Apple software. You also have less malware to deal with. Having worked at a school with labs f…

[deleted]

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#299

Post by graeme »

rbanffy wrote: post #293
pilsetnieks wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To the best of my knowledge, most laptops support external displays and peripherals as well.

True, but my Macbook enters "hairdryer mode" every time I push it a little (which is often). I'd like a quieter device without the constant fan noise.

Yup. That was the issue. I tried a MacBook pro with an external before my imac pro. It did not like it.

I also do audio/video recording, and driving that + my external display really made the fans spin.

Re: 27-inch iMac gets a major update

#300

Post by hellofunk »

avianlyric wrote: post #271
smnrchrds wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They learned their lesson and made storage, RAM, etc. non-user replaceable in newer versions. You used to be able to buy a Mac from Apple and upgrade its RAM at a reasonable price on your own. Not anymore.

Franky I don’t think people upgrading their own machines ever played into this. I suspect the vast majority of people who pay for the upgrades are businesses or consultants where the Apple upgrade price is fairly negligible compared to cost of their professional time. If you’re someone who didn’t want to pay the Apple premium before they took user upgrades away, it seems a little unlikely you’ll be happy to stomach t…

> I suspect the vast majority of people who pay for the upgrades are businesses or consultants where the Apple upgrade price is fairly negligible compared to cost of their professional time.

Yes exactly. The premium on my time has been gradually edging out in my priorities. I'd rather pay a little extra to have something already there than spend the same amount in my own time instead. It's a fair tradeoff. "But there's not much time involved, it's a ripoff," say many. But there is time involved for people who don't regularly upgrade computers. Figuring out what to buy, the best place to buy it, then the process of doing the upgrade yourself (if it's possible) is not a trivial amount of time unless you do this often enough.

Let's say you can upgrade a hard drive in 2 hours total, which is conservative -- the total time of researching what to buy, reading how to install it, ordering it, opening the package, putting in the drive, configuring the stuff you need to do, if necessary. Even at two hours, for my wage, that's about $200 of my time. I'd rather just spend the $200 or even a little more to not deal with it. And in reality, for me at least, it would take more than 2 hours of my time all-in anyway.

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